Entries tagged with pregnancy

When I first got pregnant, I shunted all discussion of bumps and babies away into a separate filter in a bid not to offend any childfree/childless friends.

I've now rethought that decision for two reasons:

(1) This child is a big part of who I am, what I do, and how I live my life. If you don't want to read about it, fine - defriend me.

(2) Over the past couple of months, I've found a lot of solace and inspiration in the blogs of infertile women who've finally become mothers as well as rivka's LJ, where she frankly discusses her pregnancy and life with her baby. It's so important to talk about motherhood honestly, openly, and publicly that I've decided to do the same.

Having said that, I solemnly swear not to:(1) post baby pictures in public posts, if only because my husband has vetoed it. Any pictures of baby will be heavily filtered.

(2) disrespect men and women who have chosen not to have children. I don't know your story, I don't know your reasons, and if this infertility lark has taught me one thing, then it's to lay off the judgmentality.

(3) present motherhood as perfect bliss, because it's not, not even at this stage. Ask my lungs, or what's left of them. Ask the little ramrod of a baby, who asserts herself every time Mum tries to bend over. Sure, it's all part of the adventure, and it's great to be able to experience this pregnancy after having waited for it for so long. But does this mean that I have to enjoy every single second of it? No. (Ouch.)

The usual rules of netiquette for cutting longer musings and privacy for filtering will continue apply.

On August 8, 2005, we will finally get to see the little person who's been squishing my lungs, churning around in my belly, and making a splash in the amniotic fluid.

At 7.30am, we'll report to reception, and some time before lunch (hopefully), we will have our baby. We will be scheduled around the other elective Caesarean sections that day, with space for any emergencies that arise. Did I mention that I'm not to eat any breakfast, and that all I'm allowed to have is some water, tea or coffee with sugar (no milk) BEFORE 6am? I hope they do a nice line of IV blood glucose, because baby has this new trick of growing and growing and growing ...

Oh, and did you say you had a birth plan? Well, in principle, your birth plan is fine, except that you will have to negotiate it in a semi-famished state with the registrar, anesthesist, and paediatrician du jour. Sheesh. But then, I didn't expect anything else. I think pretending to be medical will help, so I'm off to buy an obs/gyn textbook ;)